Wed Dec 2 12:00:42 EST 1998
Fred
It is at least preliminarily clear, looking at data on rents, wages and
prices that the area that is experiencing most productivity growth within
England in the years 1700 to 1860 is the north, and particularly
Cumberland, Westmoreland, Northumberland, Durham - the areas close to
Scotland. The areas with the least sign of productivity growth are those in
the SE around London.
So Jack Goldstone is correct in his premise that growth is occurring in the
peripheral regions of Britain. My guess is that Scotland would be
experiencing even more growth than the north of England, given that by 1860
it is the high productivity area of British agriculture, and that in 1700
it is miserably poor (thus Dr. Johnson's famous gibes about Scots).
My institutionalist colleagues will find evidence here that somehow we are
seeing an extension of markets which ignites economic growth. Others will
see a link between the Industrial Revolution, which was largely a northern
phenomenon, and agriculture. In many ways the south of England was no more
affected by the Industrial Revolution, and by an agricultural revolution,
than was northern France. We just happen to do economic history in terms of
political boundaries.
I think that it is just as likely that lowland Scotland and the north of
England experienced general economic growth, in both industry and
agriculture, fueled by social and cultural factors. Somehow a cultural
structure evolved in the north which was harder, more entrepreneurial and
more self reliant than that in the south. This shows up in a number of
ways. In 1834 0% of farm workers in the most northern counties received
part of their pay in beer while at work in the north year round, while in
the south 31% were drinking on the job year round (in the south west it was
43%). The poor seem to be treated with more toleration in the south - I
came across a quote from a Scottish farmer in the 1790s to the effect that
what they called "gleaning" in England in Scotland they called "theft" and
they would have none of that (they raked up any stray ears of corn with
horse rakes after the harvest).
Greg
______________________________________________________________
Gregory Clark
Professor
Department of Economics PHONE 530-752-9242
University of California FAX 530-752-9382
Davis, CA 95616
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